Alabama

Mardi Gras: MAMGA Queen Danielle Monique Hodge

(Courtesy Isiah's Photography Studio)Verdice Hodge remembers the joy her daughter, MAMGA Queen Danielle Monique Hodge, had as a child when she would pretend to be a queen or a princess. “She always liked crowns and tiaras,” Mrs. Hodge recalls. The queen’s sparkling, elegant attire takes one back to ancient Egypt, to the days of the pharaohs.

MOBILE, Ala. -- When Danielle Monique Hodge was growing up in Mobile, Carnival was one of her favorite times of year.

“We’d never miss a parade,” said Hodge, remembering how she would head to a favorite spot with her parents, Charles and Verdice Hodge, her siblings and other relatives. “We had our own corner.”

By the time Hodge became a member of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association court in 2005, she found special joy in taking part in the balls and riding a float.

“I told my mama,” she said, laughing with delight, “I’d have to do it again.”

The elementary school teacher got her wish.

“I was shocked,” Hodge admitted when she got the call that she was this year’s queen.

Mardi Gras specialJan. 31, 2010

A 40-page special section devoted to the Mobile area's 2010 season of revelry is included in the Sunday Press-Register, available wherever newspapers are sold and afterward while supplies last at the Press-Register building at 401 N. Water St. in Mobile.

“I didn’t have a history of kings and queens in the family. I called my mom. They were excited.”

“It’s an honor for them to choose her,” said educator Verdice Hodge of her daughter’s rise to Carnival royalty. “She’s always worked hard. She loves kids and has always been a role model. It’s a big honor to have her to represent the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association.”

Hodge’s hard work was in evidence from an early age. The honor roll student went to John S. Shaw High School before heading on to college. As a high school student, Hodge loved cheerleading.

“I cheered from ninth grade to my second year at Bishop State,” said Hodge. “My senior year at Shaw, I was captain.”

She was also selected Miss Varsity by the Shaw basketball team. She kept up her academic excellence along with her cheerleading at Bishop State Community College and was a member of Delteen. She headed on to Alabama State University in Montgomery, where she was a member of the college chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The second-grade teacher at Highland Gardens Elementary School in Montgomery is now enrolled in graduate studies at Alabama State. She expects to receive her master’s degree in special education this spring.

“I tell my school kids about Mardi Gras,” Hodge said. “I bring back beads, throws, and make a treasure chest. We decorate the room.”

Her own love of Carnival, according to her mom, goes back to the joy of pretending to be a queen or a princess when she was a child. “She always liked crowns and tiaras,” Verdice Hodge said.

The queen’s crown is designed by Tommy and Tanya Cain and executed by Jane and Jim Rhinewalt of Dynasty Collection Inc. of Mobile. Made of Swarovski crystals, the crown, according to Dynasty, is inspired by “the crowns of the British empire and the tiaras worn by Princess Diana.”

Oval crystals are at the top of the crown with marquis stones to the sides. At the back of the crown is Queen Danielle’s monogram made of tiny crystals and number 2010, for the year of her reign. The scepter follows the design of the crown. Both are finished in 14K gold.

The royal attire, Hodge said, is inspired by themes of ancient Egypt, an idea she credits to a family friend, Tamitha Kidd.

Hodge’s dress, designed by Patricia Halsell-Richardson, is in an Egyptian-style, sprinkled with Swarovski crystals, with collar and waistband featuring 24 rows of Austrian crystals of different hues. Hodge’s mother and grandmother helped make the rhinestone collar and belt.

The train, designed and executed by Halsell-Richardson and her staff, is filled with Egyptian imagery from the days of the pharaohs. At the center of the train is a large cartouche that includes, in heiroglyphics, the name of a king or queen.

The cartouche is outlined by metallic gold rope entwined in an Austrian crystal banding.

The train also features double rows of flails.

A flail, traditionally an agricultural instrument used for threshing, appeared often in depictions of royal Egyptian figures, often with a crook.

The flails are symbols of “royalty, majesty and dominion,” according to Halsell-Richardson, and on Queen Danielle’s train are accompanied by symbols of an ankh.

“The ankh represents eternal life,” Hodge said.

There is a symbol for her own church as well — the emblem of the AME church — which Hodge described as “a cross with a shield on it.”

Above the upper ankhs of the train is the Goddess Isis, adorned in purple, her wings made of peacock feathers.

“The Goddess Isis is the lover of children,” Hodge said. “That represents me, a teacher. I wanted a train that meant something.”

Having a very special first lady for her royal court means something to her, too. She chose her younger sister, Ericka, as first lady-in-waiting. Ericka is a senior at Alabama State.

“It means a lot to me,” the queen said, “being a role model for my younger sister and paving the way for her, and being a role model for young girls, letting them know that dreams do come true.

“I’m going to act like a lady at all times, to represent myself, and the Mobile Mardi Gras Association, with class and dignity.”

MEET THE QUEEN: Danielle Monique Hodge, 26

Family: parents Charlie and Verdice Hodge, sister Ericka and brother DemarcusEducation: graduate of Shaw High School. Attended Bishop State before enrolling at Alabama State and earning a degree in education. Now working on master's degree at Alabama State.Career: teaches second grade at Highland Gardens Elementary in Montgomery County public school systemFavorite book: "Becoming a Better You" by Joel OsteenFavorite actress: Gabrielle UnionFavorite movie: "The Notebook"Hobbies: reading and shoppingSong: "Just Fine" by Mary J. BligeSocial issue she's concerned about: the lack of funding in education

Ladies of Queen Danielle

Several ladies will attend Queen Danielle Hodge as she reigns over the festivities of the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association this season:

Lady Shannon Broom is the daughter of Yolanda and Frederick Broom of Mobile. She is a graduate of LeFlore High School, where she was homecoming queen and president of her junior and senior class. She was also a member of Moving Images Dance Company. She is active on the praise team and youth choir at Franklin Street Baptist Church. She is majoring in social work at Alabama A&M University in Huntsville and is also active in the university’s marching band, Social Work Club and Dancing Divas.She also volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

Lady Britteny N. Coleman is the daughter of Shirley Coleman and Terrance Evans, both of Mobile, and the granddaughter of Arnita Evans. She is a graduate of B.C. Rain High School, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the Flag Corps, the marching band, the National Honor Society and DECA. She was also listed in Who’s Who Among American High School Students. She attends Faith Full Gospel Baptist Church and is active in the youth ministry and dance ministry. She earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in physical education at Alabama State University in Montgomery. She also served on the Athletic Advisory Board and was active in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Kappa Delta Pi. She works in the Montgomery County Public School system.

Lady Ayla Goodson is the daughter of Devie Goodson-Griffin and the late Frank Crawford Goodson. A graduate of LeFlore High School, she was named Miss Rattler in 2006 and was also a member of the Imperial Knights Service Club, Dearborn Teen Achievers and the marching band. She has been an altar server at St. James Major Catholic Church. She is studying accounting at Southern University in Baton Rouge and hopes to become a criminal investigator for the Internal Revenue Service. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she has served as captain of the cheerleading squad at Southern and has been active in the National Association for Black Accountants.

Second Lady-in-waiting Whitney Marie Green is the daughter of Jennifer Green and Mr. and Mrs. Leon Abrams, all of Mobile. A graduate of LeFlore High School, she was active in the Advance Chorus, VICA Co-op Program, Delteens and Le Beautillion Militaire. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, received the choral award and was listed in Who’s Who Among American High School Students. She attends St. Mary’s Catholic Church. She has attended Xavier University in New Orleans and is now a student at Auburn University, where she is majoring in biomedical sciences (pre-pharmacy). Her goal is to become a pharmacist. She is active in Alpha Epsilon Delta and the Pre-Pharmacy Club and also donates time as a volunteer at Morningside Assisted Living.

Lady Kimberly Mariah Hardin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold E. Hardin of Mobile, is a graduate of McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where she was a varsity cheerleader and a member of the tennis team and National Honor Society. She attends Prince of Peace Catholic Church. She graduated magna cum laude from Alabama A&M University with a degree in speech pathology. She was a member of the Lady Bulldog Tennis Team, Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society and Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society. She is presently working on her master’s at Auburn University, where she is majoring in collaborative rehabilitation (with a specialty in autism). She hopes to start her own autism center.

First Lady-in-waiting Ericka Latrice Hodge is the daughter of Charlie and Verdice Hodge. A graduate of Blount High School, she participated in the marching band and concert band and was on the honor roll. She sings in the choir at St. Stephen AME Church, where she serves as a youth usher. She is majoring in history education at Alabama State University in Montgomery and plans to become a high school teacher. She is a member of the Student American Education Association and the NAACP and also volunteers with Habitat for Humanity. Her sister is MAMGA Queen Danielle Hodge.

Lady Jamie Aline Lang, daughter of Rosalyn and Kenneth Lang, is a graduate of Leon High School in Tallahassee, Fla., where she was a member of the National Honor Society, yearbook staff and Anchor Service Club. She attends Prince of Peace Catholic Church. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health care management at the University of Alabama in Birmingham and a master’s degree in public administration at Troy University. She works for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama and hopes to become a health care administrator. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and works as a volunteer for the United Way Allocation Team and the Red Cross.

Lady Caryn Seleta Rainey is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey T. Rainey of Mobile. She is a graduate of LeFlore High School, where she participated in the Advanced Chorus and the Junior Civitan Club. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and listed in Who’s Who Among American High School Students. She serves in the hospitality, music and greeters ministries at Christian Union Primitive Baptist Church. She is studying accounting, English and finance at the University of Mobile and hopes to become a CPA and corporate accountant.

Lady Donjoli Patrina Ann Rowser is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Rowser Sr. of Mobile. She is a graduate of LeFlore High School, where she participated in the marching band, Junior Civitan Club and I-Ketts Service Club. She was also co-captain of the Flag Corps. She attends Mount Zion Baptist Church, where she is active in the Young Adult Ministry. She attended Bishop State Community College and is a graduate of Auburn University, where she was a member of the Rhythm Dance Team, gospel choir and Ministries in Action. A member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, she has donated time as a volunteer with the Salvation Army and the Boys and Girls Clubs. Now a graduate student at Argosy University, she works as an assistant manager at Gymboree in Atlanta.

Lady Brittany Williams is the daughter of Kimberly Pettway and Cecil Jackson, both of Mobile. She graduated with honors from LeFlore High School, where she was president of the Student Government Association and National Honor Society and a member of Moving Images Dance Company and the Junior Civitan Club. She was also a member of Teens on Parade and the Azalea Trail Maid Court. She participates in the praise dance team and serves as a youth leader at Mount Hebron Church Ministries. She is studying chemical and environmental engineering at Tuskegee University. She was second attendant to Miss Tuskegee University and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. She has worked as an intern for three summers for Procter and Gamble.